We were told that its all over at the age of 40: Naomi Watts opens about the pressures to look good in the film industry

There was a time when actresses were told their career would be over at 40 in Hollywood, but not anymore. The Loudest Voice star Naomi Watts feels a lot has changed for women in the industry. The Oscar-nominated actress says women want to look good and want to be taken seriously and there is no reason that the two can't co-exist.

Actors are often under pressure to look a certain way which is deemed important to sell their image. But has the pressure changed for women over all these years? "I think that has always been there, definitely. And you know, there was a time when we were told that come the age of 40, it was all over...and that has changed," Naomi said during The Loudest Voice press conference.

"In terms of being told that we have to look good, I think we want to look good, but we want to be taken seriously and there's no reason that the two things can't co-exist. For the red carpet, yes, I want to look my absolute best and I use professional help to create something that looks good, but it has not been so because I've been instructed to. I make that choice myself. I'm in charge of the decision making as to how I present myself," added the 50-year-old.

Her resume is a testament to her versatility, her chameleon-like quality to get into the skin of any character and how to avoid being typecast. With two Oscar nominations, her work profile shines with box-office hits like King Kong, The Ring, The Divergent series, and roles in critically acclaimed films like Birdman, Mulholland Drive and 21 Grams. Now, she will be seen living the life of journalist Gretchen Carlson in Showtime limited series The Loudest Voice, which dramatises the rise and fall of Gretchen's former boss, Fox News creator Roger Ailes essayed by Russell Crowe. The show will go on the platform at the same time as the US. It will launch on July 1.